Sufjan Stevens is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists.
Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.
real name: Sufjan Stevens
labels: Asthmatic Kitty
genres: indie folk, alternative rock, indie rock, indie pop, baroque pop, chamber pop, folk-pop, lo-fi music
awards: Shortlist Music Prize, PLUG Independent Music Awards, Awards Circuit community awards, Gold Derby Awards, Guild of Music Supervisors Awards, David di Donatello for Best Original Song
plays: banjo, oboe, guitar, voice, piano, percussion instrument, woodwind instrument
member of: Sisyphus
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Stevens was born in Detroit and lived there until the age of nine, when his family moved to Alanson, Michigan, in the state's northern Lower Peninsula. He was raised by his father, Rasjid, and his stepmother, Pat, only occasionally visiting his mother, Carrie, in Oregon after she married her second husband, Lowell Brams (who later became the head of Stevens' record label Asthmatic Kitty). Stevens is of Lithuanian and Greek descent. Sufjan is an Islamic name of Arabic origin, derived from Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. The name was given to Stevens by the founder of Subud, an interfaith spiritual community to which his parents belonged when he was born.
Stevens began his musical career as a member of Marzuki, a folk-rock band from Holland, Michigan, as well as garage band Con Los Dudes. He also played (and continues to play) various instruments for Danielson Famile. During his final semester at Hope College, Stevens wrote and recorded his debut solo album, A Sun Came, which he released on Asthmatic Kitty Records. He later moved to New York City, where he enrolled in a writing program at The New School for Social Research. During his time at the New School, Stevens developed a preoccupation with the short story form, which he believed would lead him to write a novel, but ultimately returned him to songwriting. After graduating, Stevens worked as a graphic designer at Penguin Putnam.
In January 2017, it was announced that Stevens would contribute original songs written and recorded by himself for the coming-of-age romantic drama film Call Me by Your Name. The film was released on November 24, 2017, by Sony Pictures Classics. The soundtrack of the film features two new songs and a remix of an existing song by Stevens: "Visions of Gideon", which has been described as containing "lush orchestrations" and "staccato-heavy piano refrains", "Mystery of Love", which was featured in the film's trailer as well as the film itself, and an "ethereal piano arrangement" of The Age of Adz track "Futile Devices". In his review of the film, Consequence of Sound writer Dominick Suzanne-Mayer praised Stevens' work as a composer on the...
Stevens' sound has been most generally associated with genres such as indie folk, alternative rock, indie rock, indie pop, baroque pop, chamber pop, folk pop, avant-garde folk, lo-fi folk, and electronica. A multi-instrumentalist, Stevens is known for his frequent use of the banjo, but also plays guitar, piano, drums, woodwind, and several other instruments on his records, layered through the use of multitrack recording.
Are you them, or do you know them? The mail slot is open.
"Futile Devices" is a song by American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Sufjan Stevens. Originally a track from Stevens' sixth studio album, The Age of Adz, remixes of the song were released in 2012 and 2017, respectively.
It was also featured in the 2017 film Call Me by Your Name.
As the first track of The Age of Adz, "Futile Devices" is described as a combination of "piano and acoustic guitar" and "tippy-toed grace".
The song was covered by American band Rituals of Mine (then-known as Sister Crayon) in 2011. A remix of "Futile Devices" by American musician Shigeto was released on February 29, 2012. The remix incorporates "bass-clouds and IDM clicks". In 2017, a new remix of the song by American producer Doveman was commissioned for the romantic drama film Call Me by Your Name. The film's director, Luca Guadagnino, specifically asked to include the song in the film. Doveman's remix was physically released on limited edition 10-inch vinyl in February 2018 alongside the songs "Mystery of Love" and "Visions of Gideon", all three of which were featured on the Call Me by Your Name soundtrack album.
In his review of The Age of Adz for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis praised the song's "delicate guitar figure" as well as its "beautiful Simon and Garfunkel-ish melody". Also writing for The Guardian, Alexandra Pollard ranked the song eighth on a list of Stevens' ten best songs.